Nocturnus Hiatus
by St. Noof
Summary: After taking Eggman down for what seemed like the last time, Sonic returns from a vacation to recieve some disturbing news. My first game adaptation.
1. The Return of Sonic

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to my adaptation of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. This story is dedicated to Taranea, who has always wanted to see a good Sonic DS game turn into a story.**

**Nocturnus Hiatus**

_By St. Noof_

**Chapter 1: The Return of Sonic**

"Let's go, team!"

Blurs of red, blue, orange, and pink could be seen zipping across the surface of the Egg Carrier as bursts of laser shots erupted just seconds behind them. As the airlock door to the control room neared, the azure leader of the group pumped a little more kick into his step. The last thing to be seen before the door hissed shut was the red end of a yellow mallet.

"Hey, we made it!" Tails exclaimed as the four Mobians beheld the complicated control board. "Now we just need to shut this bad boy down!"

"That would've happened a long time ago if we had just used the laser turret I saw back there…" Knuckles grumbled, jerking his thumb backward.

"Easy, guys!" Sonic said loudly, stepping between Knuckles and Tails and holding his hands out to stop the argument. _Man, when this is all over…_ the hedgehog thought, but was interrupted by a deep voice crackling over the intercom.

"You fools have foiled my plans for the last time!" said the voice.

"Eggman!" Amy shouted. This shout seemed almost inconsequential as Tails looked back from the many control monitors. "Got it!" the fox cried, punching a button that released the airlock. All four heroes rushed from the bridge as the pressure seemed to change instantaneously.

"To the Tornado!" Tails shouted over the howling wind caused by the massive aircraft's plummeting. As everyone boarded the red biplane, the amber kit fired up the engine and took off, leaving the Egg Carrier and its army to crash into Metropolis Zone.

xxx

"_Why _would you want to put us all in danger like that?!"

Tails and Knuckles glared at each other outside Tails' workshop. Since the events concerning Perfect Chaos about three years ago, the fox had had to relocate to the city, allowing GUN troops and archaeologists alike to scrutinize the wonders of the Mystic Ruins.

"I wanted to put the whole _planet_ in a safer state, thank you!" the scarlet echidna shouted angrily in response to Tails' accusation.

"Activating Robotnik's weapon systems is not only difficult, but also dangerous! Do you know what the chances are of a simple hack going wrong?" Tails screamed. "Those turrets could've blasted us at point-blank range if the system was defended!"

"Like they were any further from hitting us _without_ us trying to hack them…"

"Guys, stop it!" Sonic bellowed. "We stopped Eggman, isn't that all that matters?" The hedgehog's plea for peace was met with two resounding "No's" and several pointed comments.

"Face it, Sonic," Knuckles said flatly. "We're never going to get anywhere with Mr. Wet-Blanket Prower holding us back."

"Well, if it wasn't for Hard-Head the Echidna over there, we'd be safely back here two days ago!"

"You know what?!" Sonic shouted in exasperation. "If you two can't get along, I'm outta here. Robotnik's gone, so I'm gonna take a nice long vacation. Hope you guys cool it by the time I get back…" With that, the Blue Blur was gone.

xxx

_That was a while back…_ the azure hero-on-vacation thought as he lounged on a chair by the Station Square Hotel's pool. He sucked in a breath of frosty air, took a sip of his hot chocolate, and watched the teenagers ice skating atop the frozen water. His serenity was soon ruined shortly thereafter by a beeping noise from his right glove. Pressing a minute button on the wristband, he could hear Tails' voice fizzling through the wrist communicator.

"Tails to Sonic! Come in, Sonic!" Shaking his spiky head, Sonic held the button down.

"This is Sonic. What's up, li'l bro?"

"Sonic, Knuckles has gone missing!" came the panicked reply. "I need you to go to Green Hill Zone to meet Amy, then head back to my place."

"Right," was all the hedgehog could say before releasing the button. When he left six months ago, the inventor and the Guardian couldn't even look at each other, let alone care if the other went missing. Why was Tails so worried? Slowly and reluctantly, Sonic rose from his chair and entered the building. In the main lobby, he finished his beverage and slid his card key across the reception desk.

"Leaving so soon, Sonic?" said the young blonde receptionist.

"I guess business is picking up again…" the hero muttered. "A hero's work is never done, after all." After a nod from the girl, Sonic walked to the front exit, deposited the Styrofoam cup into the trash can outside, and dashed at full speed to the north.

xxx

Red sneakers touched worn wood as the Blue Ridge cruise liner docked at Green Hill Zone. Being the only departing passenger, Sonic waved as the huge yacht continued its course along the west coast of the continent. Pressing the small button on his glove again, he said, "Sonic to Tails. I'm at Green Hill."

"All right, Sonic. I've got your coordinates," came the voice of Tails. "Just continue on to the next island to the south. Amy should meet you there." As the hedgehog ran to the old familiar loop-de-loop, he thought of the days when Robotnik had first started attacking Mobius. Sonic had been the only one willing to stand up to his tyranny, and had learned to hone his speed to keep up with the evil scientist's flying machines and roboticized animals. The loop came to an end, and the hero saw an old man by a small stand of trees.

"Sonic! Hey, Sonic!" the wizened man called. "I heard you were back!" Sonic came closer, and saw that the citizen was attending to a large pile of wood.

"What are you doing, old man?" the hedgehog asked.

"Well, I _was _working on getting all this wood chopped, but I'm afraid I'm just too tired to finish…" the man's gray brows drooped and he wiped his forehead.

"I guess it wouldn't be too much trouble to help you out…" Sonic said, shrugging. He began charging a Spin Dash and launched himself at the wood, twisting and jumping to slice the wood into neat boards. When he had finished, he shook the wood chips from his quills and gave a thumbs-up to the man.

"Oh, thank you, Sonic the Hedgehog!" the grandfatherly man exclaimed happily. "By the way, the only way to get to the southern islands is to get that raft to the north dock."

"I think I can handle that," the hedgehog replied, making his way to the dock. Not long after, he found the crank on the raft's pully and had the raft close enough to jump on. As he let go of the crank, the raft zoomed away, sending fresh spray in Sonic's face. Within a minute or so, he found himself on a dirt path leading southward. As the hedgehog continued along the road, he caught a glimpse of dark armor out of the corner of his eye. Within the next instant, a line of boxes had covered the path.

"What was that?" Sonic shouted.

"I'm detecting energy readings coming from your position, Sonic," came Tails' voice. "I think someone might be trying to block your way!" In a few moments, the dilemma was solved by a yellow mallet. The pink hedgehog swung her weapon with enthusiasm as she effortlessly smashed each box.

"Hi, Sonic!" cried Amy, a bright grin on her face. "I saw you were in trouble, so I came to help!"

"Thanks, Amy," Sonic replied.

"You mean it? I was actually helpful?"

"But I could've jumped those boxes." This comment was followed by a hammer blow to the stomach.

* * *

**There you have it, the beginning of Hostile Reception. It sure feels good to get to writing again! Hope you like this chapter, and Happy Thanksgiving!**


	2. Mysterious Marauders

**A/N: Due to popular demand, I've decided to update this story a little more frequently than my other story-monsters. I'll try putting something up every two weeks or so, but don't get mad if they're just a tad late.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Mysterious Marauders**

Sonic and Amy continued down the dirt path, Amy looking distant yet angry, and Sonic holding his stomach.

"Why'd you hit me again?" the azure hero said, raising an eye ridge at Amy.

"I come all the way here and help you with those boxes, and you say you could just _jump_ over them!" Amy bellowed. "_That's_ why I hit you, and _that's _why I'm glad I have Dextar now instead of you!" The latter response stopped Sonic in his tracks.

"Wait, hold on…" he said. "So… you _actually_ got yourself a boyfriend? Does this mean you're gonna stop chasing me?" Amy nodded. "What's he like, then?"

"He's the _best_!" Amy gushed. "He always brings me flowers, and we go on dates every week –"

"Why haven't I seen this Dexter guy around, then?" Sonic asked. "Not that I really care…"

"Well, Sonic… You've been gone for quite a while…" the pink hedgehog sad sadly. "After the first two months, I realized that I can't just wait around for you anymore. Conveniently enough, that's when Dexter showed up."

"Still, I would've at least _heard_ about him…"

"He doesn't live around here…" Amy said slowly. "He's also pretty busy…"

"Lies at their truest form," replied Sonic, causing Amy to cross her arms and huff indignantly.

"How _dare _you, Sonic?! Just because _I've _finally become happy, you think I'm lying?"

"Yes."

"Sonic…" came Tails' voice. "It's nice to rush through things, but I think you're hurting Amy's feelings. Why don't you try making her feel better."

"I don't want to make Amy feel better," the hedgehog said simply.

"Sonic… just try saying something different," Tails pleaded. "You can always get more information by asking questions, but sometimes you'll think of some pretty snarky things to say…" Sonic thought for a few moments.

"Okay, Tails," he consented. "By the way, what's your favorite color?"

"You know it's – oh, ha ha, Sonic…" crackled Tails. "That's _not _what I meant."

"Well, anyway… Let's just keep going," Sonic said, shrugging.

"Okay, but don't try any funny business," Amy chided. "I have a boyfriend, y'know." The two hedgehogs continued along the path, not really speaking much.

_Amy can't __possibly__ have found a guy who can tolerate her…_ Sonic thought as they passed a small mountain and some ruined towers. _Why do I care, though? _he asked himself. _I don't! _the voice in his head answered. At that point, a soft whirring noise could be heard, and a hovering robot appeared.

"**ENEMY DETECTED**," the droid said. "**ALERT COMMAND**."

"What's going on, Sonic?" Tails asked through the communicator.

"It looks like one of Robuttnik's drones," replied Sonic, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't know who 'command' is, but it sounds like trouble…" ventured Tails. "You'd better go after it."

"But why is there an Eggman robot when there's no Eggman?" Amy asked.

"Who cares, Amy? We get to chase it!" said Sonic with a grin. The sentry took off at a high speed, and the hedgehogs followed suit. _Feels good to run again,_ the azure speedster thought as he jumped over a rather large rock, landing with a quick Spin Charge to boost his velocity. As the robot increased its own speed, Sonic leapt into the air, curling into a ball and letting his combat instincts home in on his target. The almost magnetic attack kept the hedgehog in the air as the enemy continued to speed up, but Sonic made himself land as the robot bumped into the side of a small cliff. The blue blur charged a Spin Dash, fired away, and jumped in the air after hitting the drone, delivering two subsequent spin kicks. The pawn spun wildly, and then fell to the ground as smoke and exhaust puffed from its vents.

"What happened?" Tails asked. "Did you catch it Sonic?"

"Sure did, li'l bro!" Sonic shouted with glee. "I got to try out my latest combo, too. I call it the Axe Kick." At that moment, his pink companion caught up to him, her breaths shallow and her mallet dragging along behind her.

"You could've… waited for me… you know…" Amy panted.

"Yeah… but when _else_ do I get to chase down and Axe Kick Eggman robots?" the blue hero replied, grinning. "Not every day, that's for sure!"

"It still doesn't explain _why _Robotnik's machines are still around…" wondered Tails. "I'm detecting some energy readings from the south, near Central City. You should check it out." After a quick, affirmative answer, Sonic grabbed Amy's arm and continued running toward the suburban peace of Emerald Town, until the pair neared the old, sturdy bridge to the city. There, in the middle of the bridge, stood a figure in gleaming black armor. Its helmet curled backward with elegant white plating, and a strange symbol could be seen on its forehead.

"Stop, Sonic the Hedgehog," the figure said in a deep voice.

"Who are you?" asked Sonic.

"He's one of the criminals that have been stealing the Chaos Emeralds," Tails answered. "As far as we know, they're called the Marauders."

"Out of my way, Marauder!" Sonic shouted. The Marauder laughed.

"Marauders… is that what you call us?" he said. "Like it matters… Procurator Shade wants you stopped, so I will stop you."

"Shade?" Amy asked.

"Procurator Shade is our second in command, and the only reason I'm telling you this…" the Marauder said darkly. "is because you are about to die."

"I don't think so!" shouted Sonic, taking his usual combat stance. The Marauder ran forward, pulling back for a punch. Sonic let loose a Spin Dash and went slowly around his foe, going faster as the rotations grew in number. Strangely enough, the enemy stopped and looked straight ahead, putting his left hand on his right arm. As the hedgehog passed, the Marauder pressed a button on the arm of his armor, firing a laser and hitting Sonic.

"Sonic!" Amy shouted, rushing forward and swinging the Piko-Piko Hammer wildly. The Marauder did his best to avoid the attacks, but he could not avoid the inevitable – being hit with a girly mallet, that is. The soldier stumbled backward, tripping over Sonic's stirring form. Said hedgehog jumped up and sped to Amy's side, charging yet another Spin Dash. Amy brought her hammer back and struck, sending the spinballing spikester straight into the Marauder. A spark could be seen coming from his belt, and in a flash of light, he was gone. Sonic stood up and rubbed his side where the laser had scorched his fur, exposing his tan skin.

"Remind me never to try the Dizzy Spin again on those guys…" the azure hero groaned.

"Hey," Tails said in a panicked voice. "I'm getting an energy feed… like that Marauder just teleported away!"

"That's just not fair!" Amy shouted.

"Well… come to my workshop and we can talk about it…" The hedgehogs gave an affirmative answer and crossed the bridge from the quiet suburbs into the bustling city.

xxx

White boots tapped on white-striped asphalt as their inhabitant waited for her ticket back inside GUN headquarters. Just when the albino bat had given up on getting lunch, two hedgehogs appeared to brighten her day.

"Hey, Big Blue…" Rouge said in her smoothest voice. Amy's face burned crimson as she produced the Piko-Piko Hammer.

"Leave Sonic alone, you harlot!" the pink hedgehog screamed. Said distressed blue hero put his hands on Amy's shoulders to hold her back.

"I can handle Rouge…" Sonic said calmly. To the bat, he said, "Hey, Rouge. Do you know anything about what's happening with Knuckles and the Marauders?" Rouge shook her head.

"Sorry, Sonic. I can't tell you anything unless Tails is here," the agent said. After seeing Sonic's shocked expression, she continued. "You've been gone a long time, Big Blue. Tails had to learn how to live for himself, and boy, did he!"

"Can't say I'm not proud of the little guy…" the hedgehog said with a grin. "I guess we might as well go get him, right Amy?" Amy nodded, and the two dashed off toward Tails' newer (yet more modest) workshop.

xxx

A flash of blue burst through the screen door of the small workshop, with a blur of pink behind it.

"Oh, hey Sonic!" Tails shouted over the sound of power tools. "I'm just working on a new landing gear for the Tornado I." The amber fox took his goggles off and ran to his adopted brother and embracing him.

"I missed you," said Sonic quietly. After a few more moments, he broke the hug to assess the impending matter. "So how did ol' Knucklehead get himself captured this time?"

"Well…" Tails began. "Seeing that the Marauders were obviously after the Chaos Emeralds – they had already gotten six – we decided to set a trap to catch them, using the last Emerald as bait. Knuckles agreed to be lookout for it, but the Marauders somehow completely dismantled the trap and stole the Emerald!"

"Some Guardian Knuckles turned out to be…" commented Amy.

"You should've seen him fight them, though!" Tails shouted. "I still have surveillance footage, if you wanna check it out –"

"That's quite all right, Tails…" Sonic interrupted. "I'm pretty sure we have something _big_ on our hands this time, if Knux can't even take them on." Looking back at the door, he changed the topic. "I saw Rouge outside. She says she has some more info on the Marauders, but she needs you there, li'l bro." Tails nodded, and the three headed toward the door. As the trio stepped outside, they were met with a familiar foe.

"It's been awhile since I've seen a SWATbot…" mumbled Amy, gazing at the anthropomorphic robot and its two sentries.

* * *

**Starting to think Eggman's involved after all? Hurrah for SWATbots, the most evil Robotnik creation on this side of Mobius! When I saw those galoots, I about fainted… Well, I hope you enjoyed the second installment of Hostile Reception. If you read, don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	3. GUN's Plan

**A/N: I know Nocturnus Hiatus hasn't been the most acknowledged story I've written, but I'm determined to make it a great fic. On that note, I happily present the final part of Hostile Reception!**

**Chapter 3: GUN's Plan**

* * *

The SWATbot charged boldly at the trio, its right arm poised to strike. As the robot brought forth the punch in hopes of hitting Tails, the fox did a short spin, cutting the metal appendage badly with his tails. The sentries weren't far behind as they aimed their blasters at the hedgehog duo.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic shouted, dodging the lasers easily. "Remember the good ol' days on the Floating Islands?"

"Yeah, but why?" the kit asked, using a wrench from his workshop to bludgeon one of the sentries.

"Don't you recall how I was able to get up to those high spots?" A spark of recognition flashed in Tails' eyes, and he flew upward. The airborne fox swiftly hovered to his adopted brother and picked him up, preparing for an assault. As the pair reached a suitable height, the connection between Sonic's and Tails' hands broke, leaving the former to freefall. The hedgehog easily found time to perform a Spin Roll in midair, and the bewildered SWATbot could only watch dumbly as Sonic collided with it. The blue hero leapt easily from the pile of scrap that used to be a robot, and a quick whack from the Piko Piko Hammer kept the nearby Sentry Drone from hitting him with a laser shot. The drone almost crumbled under Amy's attack, and in a swift motion, the pink hedgehog had swung around to knock the other bot out of commission.

"Nice one, Ames!" Sonic commented, panting. From the intersection, Rouge squealed in excitement. To Amy's chagrin, the albino bat ran to the group, beaming.

"I haven't seen such a display since Sonic left!" she shouted, clapping her hands. Eyeing Tails, she said, "Well, now that Tails is tagging along, we can get down to business." Without another word, the undercover agent moved quickly along to a door at the end of an alleyway near the south.

"What is this?" asked Tails.

"You're looking at the entrance to GUN HQ," Rouge said proudly, opening the door.

"GUN?" replied Sonic nervously. "I don't like those guys. What do they want with us?"

"Well…" Tails began. "When Knuckles got captured, I talked to Commander Graves. He agreed to help us with the investigation, while letting us handle the hero stuff."

"I guess if they're gonna stay out of our way…" agreed the hedgehog. "I can live with having GUN's help. Let's go."

xxx

Commander Vincent Q. Graves tapped his foot as he stood by the front desk of GUN headquarters. Rouge had told him that she'd be back before lunch, and his personal pizza was getting cold. As if she had read his mind, the door opened, admitting said tardy bat and her cohorts.

"Ah, Rouge," said the tall man calmly, betraying his furious attitude that she was so late. "I see you've brought our… friends."

"Hello, Commander…" Sonic said begrudgingly. Graves was, in his opinion, the source of most of the major problems on Mobius recently.

"Glad to see you're back, Sonic the Hedgehog," Graves said falsely, just before an audible _ding_ sounded. Disappearing behind the desk, the Commander reappeared with a steaming plate, upon which stood what once resembled a personal pizza.

"Let's cut the small talk," Amy demanded. "What's the situation with Knuckles?" The head of GUN looked rather surprised at the female's unusual burst of involvement. Nodding, Graves retrieved a remote and pressed a button, causing a large screen to appear on the back wall. The screen showed a map of the central-northwestern region of Mobius, with several star-shaped marks spotting its picture.

"Naturally, our first suspicion was that the Marauders were working with Eggman," Graves began as he moved to the back by the screen. "In light of this, we've prepared a list of abandoned Robotnik bases. Each of these spots might hold your echidna friend."

"Our objective is clear, then," remarked Tails confidently. "We visit each base until we find Knuckles!"

"Luckily, we've hired the Chaotix to assist us in our mission," the Commander added. Just then, the screen changed to show the image of a cell phone. "That must be them now." A button was pressed, and the images of a crocodile, a chameleon, and a bee became present.

"What's up, Sonic?" the croc said, waving to his blue friend.

"Nothing much, Vector…" replied Sonic. "Just got back from vacation."

"Did ya go to the beach?" asked the bee. "I love the beach!"

"Quiet, Charmy," the chameleon said quietly. "The adults are talking."

"Hey, I'm as grown-up as you are, Espio!" Charmy shouted angrily.

"Shut up, both of ya!" Vector bellowed.

"Anyway…" continued Graves. "Do you have any progress?" To this, Espio nodded his purple head and stepped forward.

"We have concluded that the Marauders are somehow able to teleport to certain locations," said the detective. "Also, a trace of their warp energy is left behind when they teleport, so we could conceivably track them down."

"But how are we going to track them?" Amy asked in confusion.

"If we find some sort of devices in the bases, I might be able to build a machine that can trace the energy signal," answered Tails gleefully.

"Then we could find that bad ol' Eggman and give him another good stinging!" Charmy shouted with much enthusiasm.

"As much as we'd like to think that Robotnik's behind this…" intervened Vector. "Team Sonic took him down, permanent-like. There's no way he's still kickin'."

"We can only hope," Rouge commented as she picked at a salad, provided by the Commander.

"You know your mission, then," Graves said with finality. "Rouge, I want you to go along with Team Sonic and make sure they succeed." An affirmative from the bat produced an approving nod on Graves' part. "Very good, then. Don't let us down." With those last words, the four Mobians were hastily shooed from GUN HQ, and the line connected to Team Chaotix was cut.

xxx

The head conference room at GUN HQ was filled nearly to capacity. All of its occupants were waiting patiently for news on the top-secret mission from their trusted commander. A minute or two later, the heavy metal door slid open with a _click _and a _whoosh_, and Commander Graves stepped in. The highest officer took his seat at the head of the table and began the meeting at once.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "The time has come to put Operation Foxhunt into action." Several audible gasps filled the room. "Settle down, people!" was the next statement.

"It's too early, Commander," protested a tall, thin man wearing a white coat.

"Dr. Kre-zeh, this is not your choice," came a reply from a high-ranking woman across the table.

"General Bagwell is right," Graves said sternly. "You all know the plan; as soon as Team Sonic is all together, we can take care of them once and for all. No one will cause danger to Mobius again."

"How can we possibly expect to do that?" inquired a lieutenant opposite the Commander.

"Haven't we gone over this enough, Lieutenant Luellen?" Dr. Kre-zeh scolded roughly. "As soon as they're all in Metropolis, we can activate a lock-down, forcing them to starve."

"What about the ones who can fly?" remarked a red-haired officer next to Graves as he cleaned his glasses. "Or the little runt with the head for technology?"

"Don't worry, Major Cole," replied the woman opposite him. "I've arranged to have constant patrol outside the city, as well as in the air."

"Very good, Captain Hurley," Graves commended to the short woman with shoulder-length brown hair. "Now that that's all taken care of, let's get back to regular duty."

* * *

**Ooooh, scary… I've always kinda hated GUN, so this little subplot gives me a sense of satisfaction that I wouldn't otherwise get from the game. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for next month's (hopefully) installment!**


	4. The Trail of Forgotten Paths

**A/N: I know that a lot of you are very surprised at my little twist to the story. Just a thing that I added to spice up Chronicles some, don't worry…**

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**Chapter 4: The Trail of Forgotten Paths**

A shiver ran down Sonic's spine as the team left GUN Headquarters. He just couldn't shake the feeling that GUN was always going and planning something behind their backs.

"Rouge?" he asked, his eyes shifting back to the building hidden in the depths of Central City. Rouge looked back at him, her eyes seeming to read him like a book. She shook her head, dismissing the unspoken question.

"All right, team," Tails announced, looking at the marked map that Graves had printed for them. "The first abandoned base seems to be…" he gasped. "Right by my workshop!"

"Gee, wouldn't that be a little more noticeable?" Rouge asked, a little sarcasm in her voice. "Usually the good doctor puts his face all over his stuff." She was right, of course. Before, Eggman's headquarters had been vividly stamped with mustachioed circle, baring its teeth in a defiant grin. As the group neared the star on the map (a tad east of Tails' shop), they noticed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

"So where's the base?" asked Amy anxiously.

"According to the map, we're right over it…" Tails replied. As all four of them looked around, Rouge politely reminded them that anything belonging to Robotnik would bear a moustache. After a few moments of searching, Sonic beckoned them all near. He was standing over a manhole cover, which bore the symbol of the deceased villain. Rouge stepped forward and dug a boot under the plate of metal, and then flipped it easily over Tails' head, and the team jumped inside. The interior looked nothing like a cross-section of the city's sewer, but a small bunker where a few item crates and a huge metal door. "I'm detecting some sort of Marauder energy signal," the fox announced. As they all walked forward, the door opened, and a SWATbot stepped through.

"Let's take him on!" Sonic shouted, charging a Spin Dash. He again started his Dizzy Spin maneuver, and this time it had the desired effect. The SWATbot twirled on its thick legs and tripped as it tried to follow the blue hero's movement. As it hit the ground, Amy rushed forward and bashed its head with her mighty hammer. The robotic cranium exploded, revealing a small, broken radio device.

"It looks like a communicator!" Tails shouted, grabbing the thing up. "If I could get some more of these, I could make a device that can track the signal of the Marauders!"

"Excellent…" said Rouge in tones of boredom. "Can we get out of here, then?" Everyone else nodded, and the team headed out into the light of the city.

"Okay, the next star is northwest of GUN HQ," Tails informed. Sonic led the way, but their was no way for the group of heroes to reach the base. They would need to go to the rooftops.

"How are we supposed to get on the roof of any buildings without wings… or tails?" Amy inquired, gazing at the multitudes of tall edifices. Sonic ambled around the central area of the city, until he led them to a man who looked very puzzled.

"What's up?" greeted the hedgehog. The tall, brown-haired man gave an exasperated sigh.

"I was trying to fix these pipes, but it would take way too long for me to do it myself…" the man said, looking disappointed. "Maybe you guys would be better at getting this stuff done…"

"Hey, it looks like we could get to the rooftops using those pipes!" Tails shouted, examining the system.

"All right, team, let's do this!" Sonic commanded. He ran up a board that slanted from the ground to a low building's roof and readied a crank. Tails and Rouge stood on two buttons that powered up the crane, and Amy dashed to the piece of pipe on the other side of the building.

"Ready, Sonic!" she yelled. The blue hero began cranking mercilessly, until the hooked arm of the crane hung over the pipe. Amy attached the hook to a loop of rope around the piece, and Sonic cranked the other way. As the crane swung over to the missing portion of the system, Tails and Rouge released the buttons, stopping the machine. Both fox and bat flew up and secured the pipe piece into the tunnel, completing the contraption.

"Let's try this thing out!" suggested Sonic, charging a Spin Dash at the tunnel's entrance.

"You go on," Tails advised. "We'll wait here. I think you can handle Eggman's old robots." As if to nod and grin, Sonic rolled around in a few slow circles and dashed through the pipe. The other three Mobians watched in wonder as the blue hero zipped through the system, landing on one of the high rooftops, and careened down a steep ramp. The spiny ball flew over the center of Central City and hit a spring on a rooftop near the southeast.

"He never fails to make a show of himself…" Rouge observed, smiling.

xxx

The blue sphere crashed into several giant wasps that had rested on top of a building in southern Central City. The bugs squished and splattered under Sonic's sneakers, and he wiped them hard on the tops of the houses and shops as he dashed toward the GUN building. He stopped just north of the headquarters, looking around at where Robotnik might have hidden once before. Not seeing any potential bases, the hedgehog continued his stroll north until he found a door leading to the top floor of a shop. He opened it, peering inside at the storage room. Sonic decided to go through, considering that most people wouldn't mind having the famous Blue Streak ambling through their shop. Of course, most shopkeepers would most likely rather that Sonic the Hedgehog amble through the main store, but he had work to do. Jumping over an unopened crate of Duel Monsters cards, Sonic found the opposite door and pushed through. This new area divided a small alcove where the entrance to a subway stood, lonely and forgotten, from the hub of the city. Sonic jumped down to the subway entrance.

"Sonic to Tails!" the hedgehog announced into his wrist. "I think I've gotten it."

"Are you sure?" Tails' voice crackled.

"Not a million percent sure, but I'm going in." The connection was disengaged, and the azure hero stepped down into the unknown area. Again, sight of item crates and security doors assured Sonic that this was, in fact, one of the evil doctor's refuges.

"Tails, do you read me?" Sonic asked through the micro-communicator. "I'm in, and it looks like it's an Eggman base." Several cheers could be heard from the other end. "All right, Sonic out." The hedgehog stepped into the abandoned shelter, but he wasn't surprised when another SWATbot stumbled through the sliding security door.

"**ELIM… OLVILG… HEDGEHOG…**" the robot stuttered. It stepped forward, but Sonic was enraged and ready to fight.

"How _dare _you use my real name?!" he bellowed, using his new Axe Kick technique to smash the SWATbot's midsection. The blow knocked the droid backward, and another communicator fell from its head as the old and damaged robot fell. Picking the peculiar device up, Sonic again activated the link in his glove. "Tails," he said, panting. "I've got another one…"

"All right!" cheered his adopted brother. "Just make your way back here, and hurry! I can't imagine that Knuckles is being treated very well."

xxx

The red echidna sat in the dank cell that had become his recent home. In front of him was a chess board and one of the warriors in shining black armor. The black king was against the side of the board, and two white pawns held it in a deadly check. Behind the pawns lay a third pawn and both white bishops.

"Checkmate," Knuckles said, a huge grin on his face. "You owe me double rations for the next four days."

"I hate you," the Marauder spat, wiping the board of pieces with its armored hand. "You will be lucky to get half rations, filth!"

"Filth who's more strategically advanced than you are?"

"Shut up!" bellowed the echidna's captor. The guard stood up and stormed from the room, muttering something about "cracked Mobian chess rules."

* * *

**I hope this isn't too short, but I've got two weeks left in the month, two math lessons to do this week, and a **_**very **_**urgent plea for a Manage Thy Anger update… So, enjoy the first part of the Search for Knuckles, and keep reading!**


	5. Back to the Hills

**Chapter 5: Back to the Hills**

Tails, Rouge, and Amy waited by the workshop for the blue hero. Within minutes of Tails' urge to hurry, the hedgehog was standing by their side.

"No problems?" Rouge asked. Sonic shook his head, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Where to now, Tails?" he asked. Tails took out the map that Graves had given him.

"According to this, there are two more bases in Green Hill Zone," answered the fox scientist. Everyone rolled his or her eyes simultaneously at this. "What's wrong with Green Hill?" Tails asked.

"I just wonder when Eggman will finally be done trying to use it as his personal testing ground…" Amy mumbled. The kitsune merely sighed.

"Could we just save the complaining for after we stop the Marauders?" wondered Rouge. Fox and hedgehogs nodded, and the group set off toward the bridge. Once the buildings and pavement had once again melted into the trees and rock formations of the splendid Zone, Tails stopped the run and pointed to the beach at the east.

"There's a star marker near the islet off the beach over there!" shouted the fox.

"Awesome…" Sonic commented sarcastically. "Over my _favorite_ element into the abandoned base of my _favorite_ person…"

"Don't sweat it, Big Blue," cooed Rouge. "I'll take that one, so you can relax those tired muscles."

"Did he _ask_ you to do it for him?!" Amy bellowed, her face flushing from bubble-gum pink to scarlet. A gloved hand touched her red-clad shoulder.

"If you're busy with this Dexter guy, why are you still biting the head off of any girl who talks to me?" asked the blue owner of said hand. "For Chaos' sake, Amy, do you think you're Ozzy Osborne or something?" Three pairs of eyes locked onto Sonic's. "What?" the hedgehog shrugged. Tails just shook his head, and he and Rouge flew off to find out what lay in store at the small island to the east.

xxx

Two figures darkened the opening of the small cave, while the forgotten technology of the base continued its sleep undisturbed.

"Jackpot…" said the bat, eyeing the security door at the back. The twin-tailed fox nodded and they continued forward. Like what had happened before, the door opened to reveal a staggering and bewildered SWATbot. It lumbered toward the duo, but it froze in the middle of its path. Rouge made to close the gap with the sharp end of her boot, but the kit stopped her.

"Look at it, Rouge," he said. "It looks almost sad…"

"Says the one who could dismantle that thing in three minutes and confirm that it has no emotions," chuckled Rouge in her silky voice. "C'mon, honey, let's just get the job done." Tails nodded reluctantly, and they ran forward, each of them landing a respectable hit on the SWATbot's arms. This caused the sick robot to spin rapidly and fall to the ground. Knowing what would come next, the vulpine quickly retrieved the communicator from the enemy's chest cavity.

"Let's get outta here…" Tails muttered. "I don't like the fact that Buttnik's stuff is still out to get us…" Rouge put an arm around the fox's shoulder, and they headed out of the lonely area together.

xxx

"Come on, guys… We're waaaaaiiitiiiiing!" Sonic complained, tapping his foot as he rested against a tree. The missing teammates were back soon afterward.

"The last marker is a bit north of here…" announced Tails, pointing to the star near the eastern bridge. There was a general consensus of affirmation, and the troop made their way north to the bridge. Sitting on the ground near the disassembled path to the eastern mountain was a tall teenage boy with short sandy hair.

"Is someone there?" the boy said uncertainly.

"Yeah…" said Sonic, quirking an eye ridge. The stranger's eyes brightened, and he looked up toward the hedgehog.

"I'd know that voice anywhere! It's Sonic the Hedgehog!" he exclaimed, making his way very carefully to the hero. The blue blur looked at the place where the boy had been resting and noted with some surprise that there was some sort of folded walking stick on the ground. "I was going to Emerald Hill, but when I got to the bridge, I almost lost my cane over the edge," continued the teenager. "Someone must've deactivated it… Could you fix it, Sonic? All you need are four people who can press the activation buttons."

"No problem!" the azure hero shouted in a generic tone of glee. To demonstrate his readiness, he stood on one of the red switches that controlled the sectioned bridge. The piece closest to the ground elevation swung on its axis and came to rest on the tread that held it in place. Amy followed suit with the parallel pressure-activated button, and the second portion locked in. Tails and Rouge easily crossed the gap to the other side and put down the final parts, completing the bridge. Sonic left his position near the bridge, picked up the boy's cane, and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Sonic!" cried the boy, unfolding the cane and walking to the bridge. He tapped the cane to either side in front of him, and soon he was gone up the mountain path.

"What a strange guy…" Tails mused. After everyone had crossed the sturdy bridge, the fox led the way to a cave that had been etched in the side of the mountain. "I think this is it, team!" cheered the kit as he looked inside. "Knuckles could be here!"

"Yay!" shouted Amy. All four Mobians charged in, but they stopped in their tracks when the security hatch opened to reveal a small hoard of SWATbots and sentry drones.

"You ready, Amy?" Sonic asked, looking back at the pink hedgehog. "Got something I wanna try…" She nodded, repelling her hammer with one fluid motion. Sonic charged a Spin Dash, and the cotton-candy rodent brought the Piko-Piko back. In a croquet-like motion, Amy gave the blue ball a good whack, and he went spinning into the air. The SWATbots stood with their legs at shoulder length, and Sonic easily passed through them on his way to the curved wall. The blue projectile zoomed up the side of the cavern, and each of the six flying drones was taken out in a clean arc of cerulean spines. As he landed, the hedgehog waggled his finger at the smoldering droids. "Remember, kids," he taunted. "Quantity is _definitely_ not the same as quality." The SWATbots weren't about to let him pull the maneuver off without retribution, however, for all four of them were gathered around and ready to strike.

"You wish, sugar!" Rouge shouted, withdrawing several sharp throwing spears and chucking them at the soldiers. Each of the counterfeit gems sparkled as it sailed through the air and into its target's head.

"Nice aim, Rouge!" cheered Tails. The decapitated SWATbots bumbled and collided with each other, causing all four to fall and allowing the team to search their corpses for the next communicator.

"Found it!" said Amy, beaming. "This one's weird, though…"

"Lemme see it," Tails suggested, taking the object. The other three devices had been rather clunky, but none of them had the strange three-pronged cord protruding from the antenna. "I think I could use this one to make the device we can use to track the Marauders!" he announced. "Let's get back to my workshop, team!"

xxx

A bubble of white light filled the dank interior of the abandoned area, and the dull gray armor of Procurator Shade could be seen emerging from its luminous shell.

"All clear," said Shade's distorted voice. Three scouts stepped through the bubble, and it disappeared.

"For the love of Ix, what happened here?" one of the scouts asked, gazing at the heaps of destroyed robots.

"They've been here already, that's what…" replied another. "Master Shade, we are deeply sorry that these pathetic things weren't able to keep the one called Sonic here."

"Worry not, Talik," Shade assured the minion. "Better to have them all in one place than to have to keep guards all over this forsaken place…" The mysterious leader then turned to the open vault. "There is likely something that they've forgotten in there. Go and search it." The scouts obeyed, hesitantly crossing the threshold one by one. Several minutes later, they came back out with armloads of heavy-looking machinery.

"We managed to find something that the Imperator will like…" one of them reported to Shade. "It seems to be an organic energy transfer device. Would he want that for the Nocturne?"

"I can see him using it, yes…" replied Shade. "Let's get out of this place. I can smell its stench through my armor…" The Procurator pressed a button, and all four of the Marauders were gone in another bubble of light.


	6. Lost and Found

**A/N: I've let this story go too long, haven't I? Ah, well… It's one of the epics that I really like, but I just can't seem to concentrate on it. In light of that, I'm going to try and force myself to write the next part.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Lost and Found**

"Finished it!" cried Tails as he lifted the welder's mask from his face. He held up the bunch of devices held together by a government grant's worth of caulk and heat. "Now I just need to activate it, and…" All of the lights on the communicators blinked and a low buzzing could be heard. From one of the antennas came a green beam of light that pointed southwest.

"What does it mean?" Amy asked.

"It means we need to go to the Mystic Ruins," answered Sonic as he looked in the direction of the beam.

"Don't count on getting there too quickly," Rouge commented. "Remember – GUN's got that place under lock-down while they research the ruins for signs of ancient weapons."

"Y'know, that's the cool thing about having a technology wizard for a best friend," the blue hedgehog mused with a grin as he elbowed Tails. "Especially since he's got a plane." The fox looked up at his adopted brother and laughed nervously.

"Well, you see… I had to use some parts from the Tornado to build this trap that we were using against the Marauders…" Tails said sheepishly. "We'll be lucky to get from here to Mystic Ruins, but I can do some last-minute tune-ups and get it flying."

"That's our Tails!" Amy gushed. "Always got the right idea!" While Tails stayed inside to work on his plane, the other three waited near the tower outside. Within a half an hour, the Tornado was rolling out of the attached garage.

"All aboard!" the fox shouted over the spluttering engine. The plane looked normal, but its noise was louder than usual, and it definitely wasn't running as smoothly as it had in years past. Nonetheless, the other three Mobians hopped on board, and the vehicle took off toward the ruins. The skies were clear, but the Tornado rocked dangerously as it soared over the tall buildings and into the swampy area of Mystic Ruins. It landed with somewhat of a bump, and the passengers tumbled out warily.

"Ugh… I don't think I want to do _that_ again…" groaned Amy.

"Doesn't _Dexter_ ever take you flying?" asked Sonic sarcastically.

"Oh… yeah! All the time! In fact, that's how he gets to his job site… all the way in Sandopolis!" answered the pink hedgehog hurriedly. Sonic nodded absent-mindedly.

"Let's just keep looking for Knux…" Tails suggested. They continued south through the marshy terrain, but they found their path blocked by a thicket of trees and other plants.

"Well, there's no way you'll get _me _to go that way…" Rouge said, folding her arms across her chest. Amy agreed, causing Sonic and Tails to sigh.

"I think there's a way through a bit east of here," the azure hero recalled. "I remember using it when I was looking for Eggman's base three years ago." Amy snapped her fingers.

"I remember that path, too!" The hedgehogs ran off, leaving Tails and Rouge to follow. As soon as they found the trail through the clearing, however, a cloud of foul-smelling gas stopped them.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm _definitely _going through there…" mumbled the bat. Just then, a huge crash could be heard from inside the gas cloud. The four Mobians backed up, ready for battle, but they weren't prepared for what was coming.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa_CHOO!!_" came the huge voice from inside the hazard. A good portion of the noxious stuff cleared, revealing the big purple cat.

"Oh, great…" Sonic muttered.

"Hi, Big!" Amy yelled happily. Big rushed forward to embrace her, but she held out her hands. "No hugs Big… you stink!" Big merely laughed goofily.

"What is that stuff?" asked Tails.

"What stuff?" replied Big, scratching his head. "Oh, you mean the sneezy gas?" Another silly chuckle. "It always makes me sneeze… kinda strange that it appeared a few days ago…"

"A few days ago, huh?" wondered Sonic. "Sounds like the Marauders are trying to clear the place out. Hey, Big, you think you could carry us over that gas?" The humungous cat nodded.

"No problem, Sonic!" he shouted gleefully. He hunched over, and all four Mobians climbed onto his shoulders. Slowly standing up, Big let out a laugh and showed a huge grin. "Here we go, friends!" With that, the enormous feline charged right through the gas and down to the south. He stopped when they had cleared the poison and set his comrades down. They were now in an area with an ancient-looking fan and a mess of buttons. Standing near the fan was a rather short man with dark hair and glasses.

"Well, um… if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog," the man said.

"Seriously, how do you people get here before we do?" asked Sonic. After a few moments, he continued. "Anyway, didn't this fan thing used to be used for something?" Tails nodded enthusiastically.

"They used to use these fans during excavations to make sure that the tunnels they dug would stay safe," the fox said. Sonic turned his head toward the west, where he noticed a cave entrance.

"I bet if we get this fan working, we could investigate that cave up there. Whaddya say, Tails?" the hedgehog suggested.

"Well, um… that's the problem," interrupted the man. "I was sent here by the archeological society to get the tunnels prepped again since GUN quit their investigation, but I can't seem to get this fan working. I think the battery cell might be in the wrong pod, but I was sent here alone, so I can't switch them."

"That'll be easy for us!" volunteered Amy.

"Well, that's, um… good. The only problem is that I think the wires were crossed during the construction process, and I can't figure out the right combination."

"Let us take care of that…" Tails assured him. He walked to the four buttons and examined them closely. "I think I've got it! Given the askew position of the lower-left button, I've determined that you can open one of the pods open by pressing one button and its diagonal component. Sonic, would you help me demonstrate?" The hedgehog nodded and ran over. Tails stepped on the lower-left switch, and Sonic pressed the upper-right. A cylinder was pushed up out of the water, and it held a yellow-and-black striped battery. "Amy and Rouge, you two can activate the other pod," advised Tails. The two females approached and repeated the process with the other two buttons. Another cylinder popped up, but this one was empty.

"Big, take the battery cell and put it in the other pod!" Sonic ordered. Big ran to the striped piece of electronics and transferred it to the empty place hurriedly. "All right, team. On three… one… two… three!" All four Mobians stepped from the switches simultaneously, and the pods descended into the water. Like magic, the fan started rumbling and scraping as the blades rotated.

"Well, um… thank you, Sonic!" said the archeologist. "I'll be sure to let the rest of my section, um… know that the caves are safe for the excavations again." With a grateful smile, he headed off toward the north. The five heroes watched him go and turned to the fan.

"Tails, I know you can carry someone," Sonic said. "Uh… Rouge, are you able to carry me or Amy?"

"Not to sound forward or anything, Big Blue, but I'd rather carry you than Amy," the bat responded.

"Listen, you!" Amy growled. "_Tails_ always carries Sonic, which means _you're_ not touching _my _Sonikku!"

"Yours, huh?" Sonic laughed as he stepped onto the fan with Tails. "Do I detect a little jealousy?" The unlike brothers cracked up laughing as they used the airlift to fly to the high ledge where the cave was. Grumbling, Rouge hovered over the fan and took Amy's hands.

"What about me?!" called Big as the girls landed atop the rocky place.

"Sorry, big guy!" Sonic replied. "Just keep watch, okay?" Big nodded and saluted as the team headed inside the cave.

xxx

"So… he beat you in chess, too?" The guards had left their prisoner in his cell for the time being, and they waited in the makeshift lobby.

"Yeah…" one of the Scouts admitted. His two cohorts looked at him. "He got me with the four-move checkmate." Much distorted laughter ensued. "Hey, at least I didn't fall for the old Nestor side-distraction!" One of the guards let out a burst of crude laughter at this. All three were caught off-guard when four figures entered the cave.

"Where's Knuckles?" Sonic demanded. The Scouts backed up into a triangle and took fighting poses.

"If you wish to see your Guardian friend again, you will have to best us…" the middle guard said. Sonic sighed and waggled his finger.

"Don't you know not to challenge Team Sonic?" the cerulean crusader asked sardonically. "Let's get 'em, team!" Sonic grabbed onto Tails' hands, and the small fox flew into the air. The Marauders pointed at the flying pair and fired their lasers, but Tails managed to dodge them and drop Sonic in their midst. In a split second, a slightly glowing blue ball that homed in on the left guard replaced the hedgehog. It was a clean hit that resulted in a dull _thunk_. The Scout's two allies made to help their friend, but the pink hedgehog was on them. She was going berserk with the Piko Piko Hammer, and one of the Marauders quickly fell to her mad concussive blows. Rouge was next to have her two hits in as she flew in and delivered a spinning kick to the third's face. They managed to regroup, but Sonic was already running around them in swift circles.

_I know I said I'd never do this again, but maybe I can pull it off…_ the hedgehog thought as he rolled under one of the lasers. Once his image started to fail in keeping up with him, Sonic jumped into the air, causing a blue upside-down tornado to appear. The vacuum that was created sucked the three guards up into the air, spun them around, and dropped them. This seemed to do the trick, for three bubbles of light enveloped the Scouts, and they disappeared. A banging sound could be heard from the room at the bottom of a staircase to the left.

"I think that's where Knuckles is!" Tails shouted. Amy and Rouge followed him to the stairs, but Sonic only stood there, holding his head. "Sonic… are you okay?"

"Yeah… urf… I'll be fine," the spiky rodent assured him between slight gagging noises. "The Blue Tornado just… bluh… makes me a little sick, that's all…" Slowly, he staggered after them. At the bottom of the stairs stood a SWATbot, but it didn't have time to advance before it was knocked brutally aside by a spiked fist.

"'Bout time you guys got here…" Knuckles grumbled, dusting off his hands. "They've been feeding me nothing but beef stew for the past few days, and I'm getting _very _bored of chess."

* * *

**Ah, finally the updates return. To clarify, I have no idea where the whole chess thing originated. I'm a chess-player myself, and maybe I figured that Knux was a deep enough thinker to be pretty good at it. Anyway, Team Sonic is back together! Also, have you noticed that I've been substituting the puzzle guides with ISBVI characters? Just one of my little ways of spicing the game up.**


	7. Easter?

**A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update… I was missing my copy of Sonic Chronicles, so I couldn't really get anything written. Never fear, though, for I am back from all trips, with a new (used) copy of the game!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Easter?**

Without much more conversation, the Mobians headed out of the Marauder hideout. As the lazy sunlight brushed against the multicolored fur of the heroes, Knuckles turned toward the south end of the ruins.

"What's up, Knux?" Sonic asked, looking sidelong at the echidna.

"It's Angel Island…" he replied. "Now that the Marauders have all seven Emeralds, I think they're going to go for the Master Emerald."

"That would seem to make sense…" mumbled Tails. "If that's the case, we'd better hurry!" There was no time to move, however, before a massive rumbling noise shook the sapients.

"What on Mobius was that?!" Amy shrieked.

"Angel Island is moving!" shouted Knuckles as he pointed to the south. Eyes turned as the aforementioned landform floated past them in the sky.

"It _has_ to be Buttnik!" spat Sonic. "Let's get him!" The azure hero began charging a Spin Dash, but Tails yelled for him to stop.

"We can't chase him down now!" said the fox. "Besides, he's probably not even up there. The best chance we have is to regroup back at my workshop." Sonic grumbled something under his breath, but he led the way down from the cave area and to the smoggy area.

XXX

"So… what happened with the trap and all that?" asked Sonic as the group made their way back through the ruins to the Tornado.

"Didn't Tails fill you in, hedgehog?" Knuckles retorted. "We built the trap, set up the Emerald, and I hid in a corner. When the Marauders showed up, they pointed at the trap, and it broke down. I tried to take them on, but they overwhelmed me with numbers."

"What'd they do, ask you to solve a quadratic equation?" said Rouge in tones of slightly friendly humor. She was out of the way by the time the echidna's fist would have rammed into her stomach. The team was at the Tornado by now, and the six Mobians were struggling to all fit inside the small biplane.

"Okay…" huffed Tails as he settled into the pilot's seat. "From now on, no more than four of us in the Tornado…"

"So, do you know anything about this Shade character?" Amy inquired as the plane sputtered to life and took off.

"All I really know is that Shade seems to be a 'she'," answered the Guardian. "For whatever reason, she ordered that I be kept alive."

"Well, _that_ could hardly be considered plot development…" Big mumbled, scratching his ear.

"Sometimes I wonder if his parents dropped him on his head or something…" Sonic mused. "Then again, his parents probably didn't know how to lift him in the first place…" The trip to Tails' workshop was now almost complete, and the heroes gratefully stretched their respective legs after the plane had landed in Central City. Inside, Tails called a meeting with the team.

"Does everyone still believe that Eggman's behind this?" the kit said. Several furry heads nodded. "The good news is this tracker that we used to find the Marauders' signal can also be rewired to find Robotnik's special frequency."

"That's a waste of time," grumbled Knuckles. "If we're going to stop Robotnik, we need to get Angel Island."

"Knuckles…" Rouge pleaded. "Believe me, sugar. I want to make sure that big, shiny hunk of Emerald is safe as much as you do, but –"

"Save it, bat!" the Guardian spat. "You just don't want it stolen because _you_ want to steal it for yourself! Well, I'm not having any of it. I'm getting up there, and none of you are gonna stop me." With that, the scarlet echidna made to storm out of the workshop, but a pair of gloved hands clamped onto his dreadlocks. Knuckles turned to punch the interloper, but the hold was released and the echidna was hit by a spinning blue ball within the same second. He fell to the floor, holding his gut where Sonic had used his natural ability to Spin Dash to defend himself.

"Sorry, Knux, but if Tails says we do this as a team, then we do this as a team," the hedgehog said firmly. Without approval, Sonic grabbed one of Knuckles' fists and yanked him up onto his feet.

"You win this round, hedgehog… but if things get any worse, we do this _my_ way." The two glared at each other, past rivalries and misunderstandings burning in emerald and amethyst eyes. This didn't have enough time to go on before Tails cleared his throat quite loudly.

"If you two are done settling things over there, maybe you could listen to my plan now," the fox suggested, taking much resemblance to a college professor. "As I've said, this tracker is able to detect the frequency used in Eggman's machines. If we follow the signals when the tracker goes off, we might find Robotnik. However, it may lead us to devices that aren't Eggman. The important thing is that we look everywhere for him."

"I still think looking for our sworn enemy seems really stupid…" commented Knuckles. "He could be on the island, transforming into Final Eggman again…"

"I'm pretty sure that was a fluke when that happened," Tails answered. "Even if we were to go your way, the Tornado isn't strong enough to get all the way up to Angel Island. Our best bet is to find Robotnik as soon as possible…"

"So where do we even start?" asked Amy. "I mean… we've found all kinds of machines that Eggman used, and he wasn't near any of them."

"I think we're just gonna have to start here and expand to Green Hill Zone and Mystic Ruins," the fox explained. "If that doesn't work, then we'll go as far as Metropolis Zone to look for Robotnik."

"I think that's where Angel Island was headed, anyway… based on my knowledge of Mobius locale," said Rouge.

"We should look there first, then," Knuckles demanded.

"That's not an option, Knuckles…" Tails reminded him. "Remember, we tore that place up when we brought the Egg Carrier down. There's no way in, with the exception of an air drop… but only GUN could help us with that."

"That comes up red on my alert system," Sonic blurted out. "I don't trust GUN. Not only do they believe any asset to them is a weapon, but they're always confusing blue and black. It's so _annoying_."

"Sonic's right… at least, the first thing he said was," agreed Tails. "No offense, Rouge, but I don't really like GUN, either. They're more of a mob than the NFB."

"The who?" Big inquired, scratching his floppy purple ear.

"Never mind…" dismissed the fox. "We need to do things ourselves as much as we can. I've got a bad feeling about GUN's involvement in this, so let's just get moving."

"Agreed," Knuckles concurred. "If I have to work with you guys rather than get my hands dirty and take care of business the way a Guardian should, we should at least find Eggman without GUN's help." Even Rouge nodded, and the group headed toward the workshop door.

"We should probably organize this plan a little before we get carried away," Tails cautioned before opening the door. "Knuckles and Amy should go to Green Hill Zone and look for anything suspicious. Same thing for Rouge and Big around here. Sonic and I can take the Ruins."

"Say, Amy…" Big mumbled, leaning in towards the sakura hedgehog. "While you're in Green Hill Zone, could you look for Froggy's friend, Norton? Froggy says he's been missing for quite awhile…"

"No problem, Big!" Amy replied happily. "I wouldn't mind helping you and your best friend."

"C'mon, Amy…" urged Knuckles. "We don't have any time to waste." Without another word, the echidna pushed through the small crowd of sapients and exited the workshop. Amy sighed and followed suit. The other four Mobians filed through the open door, and the unlike brothers began making their way south while Big and Rouge wandered toward the west end of Central City.

XXX

Amy had quite some trouble keeping up with her echidna companion as he rushed through the pleasant meadows of Green Hill Zone. Not even the aggressive animals and occasional SWATbots could deter the crimson Guardian from making his way to the central regions of the zone. Knuckles made his way across the bridge that led to the more hilly places, but Amy stopped him as she saw a familiar pair of floppy ears, the owner of which was sitting near the edge of the hill. The pink hedgehog dashed over to her rabbit friend, a worried expression crossing her face.

"Cream, what are you doing sitting all alone out here?" she inquired sternly. Cream looked up at her good friend, the tears in her big hazel eyes sparkling in the bright sunlight.

"I can't find Cheese!" the rabbit sniffled. "I've looked _everywhere_ for him, and he's nowhere to be found!"

"Why don't you just go to the grocery store and buy some more?" Knuckles grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Don't you remember, Knuckles?" asked Amy. "Cheese is Cream's pet Chao."

"Not just that!" Cream sobbed. "He's my best friend in the whole wide world!" Amy looked down at her friend with an intent stare. "I mean… when _you're_ not around, Amy. Please help me find him!"

"Oh, of course we'll help you, sweetie!" the pink hedgehog said, much to Knuckles' chagrin. "For now, we need to look for something else, but I promise we'll find Cheese for you." Cream nodded, and Knuckles and Amy headed around the hill and toward the waterfall, which separated the hill from a small clearing with a cave to the north.

"I'll get us over the fall…" offered Knuckles. "Hold on tight." Amy climbed onto the echidna's back, and they glided over the rushing waterfall. Before they could move on, the sound of a child's scream came from the opening of a cave nearby. Without a word, Amy dashed into the cave. Knuckles sighed and followed. Inside, it was almost pure dark, but the battle-seasoned Mobians could see clearly enough to tell that a little boy with fiery red hair was being attacked by two enormous creatures. They resembled scorpions, but there was no scorpion that Knuckles had ever seen that was six feet long and three feet wide. Each monster's tail curled in a menacing arc that threatened to poison anyone who even thought about getting near.

"We've got to save him!" Amy shrieked, producing her hammer in an instant. The Guardian seemed to hesitate, but the head of the mallet was turned toward his face before he could refuse outright. "I don't even wanna hear any of your 'We're wasting time' crap, Knuckles! When little children are in danger, it's a hero's job to save them!" Without another word, Amy ran forward and struck one of the beasts with a blow similar to an uppercut that knocked it onto its back. Knuckles was next to advance, performing a two-handed smash to the ground that delivered enough force to shake the ground. The resulting quake managed to make the exoskeletons of the scorpions start to crack. The behemoth that was still standing upright crawled sluggishly toward the heroes, and its tail shot straight out ahead of it like a spring-loaded blade. The limb was aimed at Knuckles' head, but the echidna was able to dodge most of the attack's force. Only his shoulder had been hit, and it was just a glancing blow at that. Nonetheless, Knuckles staggered for a second before regaining his balance and running at the overturned bug. Using the thing's twitching tail as a springboard, the scarlet echidna leaped into the air and slammed his spiked fist into the soft underside of the creature. The skin broke, releasing a spray of greenish-purple chunks all over the place. After striking the surviving scorpion with her hammer, Amy began spinning around in rapid circles, the mallet extend to create a small pink whirlwind. This was enough to break away the beast's remaining exoskeleton and make several deep bruises in the skin of the creature. It struggled to advance, trying to attack anything it could with sheer brute force. This would not turn out well for the scorpion, as its mad charge ran its head straight into a waiting and spiky fist. With a nasty _crunch_, the monster collapsed in a dead heap. Wringing out the messed-up gloves, the echidna walked to the back of the cave, where the boy was cowered in an indent in the wall.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, only a touch of gruffness in the Guardian's voice. The redhead lifted his thin face and nodded. It was then that Knuckles noticed a strange hunk of metal in the little human's hands. "Hey, what's that, buddy?"

"M-my alarm…" said the boy, cradling whatever it was. He had the slightest hints of a speech impediment, but his words were intelligible enough. "This is my fort."

"This is no place for such a cute little boy to be playing in!" Amy scolded. "Where do you live? We should get you back to your parents before more of those scorpions attack."

"Amy…" said the echidna under his breath. "I think that thing he's holding is an Eggman machine…" To the boy, he asked, "Where'd you find that piece of junk, kid?"

"It was just lying here," he replied. "I don't want it anymore, though!" The boy almost threw the device at Amy, who received it with an almost ginger cqtch. As the two Mobians exited the cave, their latest fan trotted after them. "Can you take me home? I live in Emerald Town."

"Of course we can!" answered the hedgehog gleefully.

"Amy…" The addressed rodent turned around to face Knuckles, the glare in her jade hues piercing his resolve. "I… I just don't think we should be going so far out of the way…" His point seemed to melt like metal in acid rain, and the two Mobians continued down to the southeastern end of Green Hill. Something seemed to strike Amy's mind, and she pointed at an opening at the top of a rock wall.

"Knuckles, do you think you could climb up there to that opening there?" she asked.

"Why?"

"I think Cheese might be up there. Sometimes, Chao like to hide in places like that," replied the hedgehog. Knuckles sighed and latched on to the vertical surface. He scaled the wall with ease, as was his skill, and entered the room at the top. Inside, he saw the tiny aqua-colored creature sitting in a corner.

"Hey there, little guy…" coaxed the Guardian. "You wouldn't happen to be Cheese, would ya?" The Chao nodded, its emotion ball bobbing up and down with its motion. "Well, come with me, and I'll take you back to your friend Cream, okay?"

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**So… sorry for not giving this story any love over the recent months. My writing should be returning with even more flash than before, though, now that I have my own laptop, and my spirits are high… well, high enough for now…**


	8. Breaking Down and Messing Up

**A/N: Well, then… I've been putting this off for quite some time. Just to clarify about the title of the last chapter, as I'm sure a lot of you were confused. The title of Chapter 3 in the game is called Egghunt, which made me think of Easter… so there ya have it.**

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**Chapter 8: Breaking Down and Messing Up**

The young rabbit had been positively jumping for joy when her friends came into view holding the still frightened Cheese. Once they were within twenty feet of her, Cream rushed over and embraced her pet Chao. Amy beamed at them, but Knuckles only tapped his foot. The younger Mobian looked up at Amy gratefully, her eyes starting to well up with tears again.

"Thank you so much, Amy…" she said through the streams of happiness. "I don't know what I would've done without you here to help."

"You know you can always count on me," replied the pink hedgehog with a warm smile. "I just can't stand to see you sad, Cream."

"This is very touching, but we should probably get going," Knuckles grumbled. "We've got other things to attend to." Cream looked at him with intent knowing.

"You guys are saving the world again, aren't you?" she asked. The two older sapients tried to hide it from their expressions, but an impossible grin was stuck on the rabbit's face. "I knew it! Can I help, pleeeeease?" Hardly any time had passed before Knuckles had shaken his head with much vigor.

"No. We're not putting a child's life in danger." The girls were at his throat at once.

"Knuckles, Cream has helped us a lot of times before!" shouted Amy. "Remember the Egg Emperor?" The crimson Guardian scratched his chin at this. "Not to mention when she helped to calm Emerl down."

"Okay, you've made your point…" the echidna grumbled. "Fine, she can come with us."

"Yaaaaaaay!"

XXX

"So where do we start looking…?" mused Rouge, not particularly caring to include Big in her wonderings. The bat had been standing outside Tails' workshop for over an hour now, waiting for Big to finish eating a large fried fish that he had brought along (apparently) from his hut in the Mystic Ruins.

"Why not check somewhere that Eggman used to be?" said enormous feline suggested as he tossed the last bit of meat into his mouth and wiped the crumbs on his belt. The bat was about to comment harshly when she realized that Big had actually contributed something intelligent to the situation. She looked up at him and grinned.

"You're not as dumb as you look, big boy," she said bitter-sweetly. Big let out an abashed guffaw.

"Aw, shucks, you don't mean that…" Rouge proceeded to roll her eyes.

"No. No I don't. Now, I think we would pick up something if there was an active Robotnik device around the workshop," continued the GUN agent. "There's one more of his bases in Central City, so let's head west and see what we can find."

"Okay!" agreed the violet behemoth. Rouge began walking quickly toward where they had put the pipes in place and looked up. She could see the spot where Sonic had emerged after running through the attic of a shop, and spread her wings.

"Big, you stay here and…" Rouge had to pause at this point, unsure of what exactly to have the cat do. After several minutes of pondering, the bat decided on, "Just stay here." Of course, Big was only too happy to oblige as Rouge took flight and soared to the rooftops. As she found a pile of broken machinery, she decided that this must be the place. Rouge's ears twitched as something stirred inside a door nearby, and she almost let out a scream of echolocation when a stumbling SWATbot emerged. It was much alike to the other SWATbots they had seen, but the device representing its head was a bit bigger. "Bingo…" Rouge hissed, preparing to kick a Ridley-sized hole in the robot. It seemed unwilling to attack, however.

"Soft creature…" it said with a crackle. "It seems that my…" Another buzz from its processor. "programming has been lost."

"And that's my problem because…?" asked the bat, tapping her booted toes.

"Request assistance with…" Crack. "programming information." Rouge sighed at this, deciding that it wasn't worth her time to try and waste any time with the malfunctioning machine.

"You're one of Eggman's robots," replied she. "The Doc has programmed you to obliterate Sonic and his friends, of which I am but one." Something clicked inside the SWATbot, and if such creations could look happy, this one certainly would.

"Many thanks, soft creature…" it sputtered. "Must…" Buzz. "Complete… mission." The drone stumbled forward, and Rouge took its head off with a clean kick. Once dislodged, it was clearly recognizable as one of the machines they were searching for.

"Score," cooed the bat, scooping up the device and flying back to Big. He gave a shout of joy as he spotted the thing in Rouge's hands. "So… any more bright ideas, Big?" The cat shook his head, and then his eyes lit up a bit.

"Can we go visit my friend in southern Central City?" Big inquired. Rouge huffed in annoyance, but her feline companion wasn't about to give in. "He always gives people free cups of coffee." This made the agent look at him with interest, being that GUN was not too generous with the wonderful caffeinated drink.

"All right, let's go…"

XXX

Knuckles, Amy, and Cream were returning to Central City when they were stopped by a beeping sound from the echidna's glove. He pressed the spot where the sound had issued, and Rouge's voice came through.

"Knuckles, we need you to get something while you're in Green Hill Zone," she announced.

"What is it, thief?" The sound of the bat had not done much in helping Knuckles' mood, and a random fetch quest wouldn't be any better.

"This guy in Central City's got an Eggman device, but he won't hand it over without his precious stapler…" muttered Rouge. "Some creep named Sal swindled it out of him, and now he expects us to get it back." The Guardian rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Oh, c'mon, Mr. Knuckles!" Cream cheered. "I thought doing heroic things was part of what made life fun!" Amy looked down at her rabbit friend and smiled.

"We'll even let you beat the guy up," chimed in the sakura rodent enticingly. Knuckles cracked his namesakes from inside his mittens and grinned.

"All right, Rouge," he consented. "I'll take care of this weirdo. It'll be nice to let out some more frustration."

"Great!" crackled the voice of the bat. "The guy says that Sal was last seen on the southern beaches of Green Hill, and he's human, so it should be a piece of cake." Without a reply, Knuckles disconnected the transmission and started tromping down the beach in search of his newest punching bag.

"Hey, wait for us!" shouted Amy, taking Cream's arm and running after the crimson echidna. By the time they had caught up, Knuckles was gripping the collar of a greasy-looking man with curly hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. A pair of glasses sat on the stranger's nose, allowing violet Guardian's orbs to stare daggers directly into his victim's eyes.

"I told you, my name's James, not Sal!" rasped the man, but this only made his pursuer more irritated.

"Yeah, and I'm Mama Luigi," grumbled the echidna. "I don't know why you pawned off a Robotnik machine for a stapler, but I _do_ know how off-the-record salesmen like you work. Now _hand it over._" Knuckles shook the man vigorously, causing a shiny red object to tumble out of his coat pocket. Amy caught sight of it in time to dive in an attempt to retrieve it, and she came up holding the red stapler proudly.

"Not Sal, eh?" she asked pointedly. The Guardian grinned wickedly and brought a fist back.

"All right, all right!" the sleazy human pleaded. "I made the trade 'cause that tech's hot. They're sayin' Eggman's back, and I don't want any of his stuff on me when he attacks again. Now, can I go?" Knuckles' grin grew just the tiniest bit wider, his incisors glinting in the sunlight.

"Yeah, get lost," he growled. In the next instant, he was turning in circles, causing Sal's jacket to whip around in the artificial wind. Knuckles let go, and the man went sailing into the shallow waters of Emerald Beach. The red-haired boy that had been following the group of Mobians since the scorpion incident cheered. This did not go on for long before a rotund man with dark hair and glasses approached, looking worried and irritated.

"Josh, where have you been?" slurred the man. "Your mother and I have been worried sick!" His voice was loud and coarse, but his statement was obviously true."

"I've been safe!" the boy exclaimed. "Knuckles and Amy saved me." The man, apparently Josh's father, looked at the Sapients, his expression changing almost immediately.

"Well, I'll be damned!" he boomed. "I'm sure Josh was in good hands, then. The name's Patrick Moore, by the way." Knuckles and Amy exchanged confused glances.

"Well… we really have to go, so it was nice meeting you," replied Amy. Before Patrick Moore could reply, the trio dashed off toward the bridge leading into the city.

XXX

Rouge leaned against the wall of the little shop in Central City, half-listening to the conversation between Big and the shopkeeper. He was a lanky man with a mellow voice and medium brown hair. They talked about the fishing around Emerald Coast as of late, the kinds of bait one should use near Station Square, and the adventures Big experienced while the other Mobians were fighting Robotnik and Chaos.

"You actually had to _fight_ Chaos 6?" the shopkeeper asked. "That is _clownin'_!" The bat was about to exercise her animal instincts on him if she heard _one_ more instance of the words "clownin'", "cold", or "fire". Thankfully, the palaver was interrupted by the entry of Knuckles, Amy, and Cream.

"We brought your _stapler…_" grumbled Knuckles, tossing the device between his mittened hands. "Where's the Eggman machine?" With a look of almost alarmed realization, the shopkeeper got up and retrieved the strange piece of junk from behind the counter. He held it out, and the echidna practically threw the red stapler at its owner. "One more down. That makes what, two?"

"Three!" Big exclaimed.

"Congratulations, you finally learned how to count…" replied the Guardian sardonically. Rouge shook her head and held up the third contraption.

"Robotnik must really be cracked, because he attached this to a SWATbot's head," she informed him. "It forgot what it was, but that just made it _so_ much easier…"

"Guess we're just waiting on Sonic and Tails, huh?" asked Amy, getting a bit dreamy at the mention of the azure speedster. Everyone shot her strange looks, and she cleared her throat. "Well, maybe we should wait by Tails' workshop. They're bound to go there when they're done searching the Ruins, right?" Several furry heads nodded, and the Mobians trooped out of the shop.

* * *

**Sorry that took forever… Crap happens, y'know? Oh, well. At least it's up. I'll be finishing up Egghunt next chapter, so be ready!**


	9. The Shadow of a Concept

**A/N: Scared ya, didn't I? You thought Nocturnus Hiatus was gonna end up being on hiatus again… Heh, little joke there. Well, here's hoping you find this suitable.**

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**Chapter 9: The Shadow of a Concept**

Sonic and Tails sped through the streets of Central City, racing neck-and-neck toward the road that led to the Mystic Ruins. The blue hedgehog was, of course, keeping a cap on his speed, giving his little brother a chance to win the friendly competition. However, both Mobians skidded to a halt when they saw a big, tall GUN trooper still standing in the middle of their designated street. His girth was scary, but he carried an attitude that simply oozed relaxation.

"What's the deal, bud?" asked Sonic, his irritation mild but still present. "Hasn't Graves told you that Knuckles was found?" The guard shook his head.

"No, the Commander hasn't given any of us word of much," he replied coolly. "I was just told to stand here, and –" As the soldier was about to continue, a shrill cry sounded from somewhere above them. Before Mobian or human could react, a blonde girl wearing blue face-paint leapt down from a rooftop, headed straight for the sentry.

"Ruuu-ah!" she cried, taking hold of him and causing them both to sail into the side of a building. At their landing, the girl proceeded to beat the tar out of her target.

"Ah – hey – why are you – ?" the foot-soldier tried to say, but his assailant would not relent. Sonic and Tails shrugged at each other.

"Think we should help him?" asked the amber fox, looking at the one-sided brawl with concern. Sonic shook his head.

"Nah, we needed through here, anyway…" he answered. "Besides, look at it. It's kinda funny." Tails glared at his best friend indignantly, but his eyes showed resignation, and he sighed.

"Fine…" the smaller hero agreed, walking down the street, namesakes swishing slowly. Before either brother could get anywhere, however, a blur of ebony and crimson caused the two to spin around wildly. Sonic was the first to regain his balance as the indicator Tails managed to keep hold of started beeping and whooping insanely.

"…the _hell?_" sputtered the hedgehog after several breaths. "Was that Shadow?" By this time, Tails had managed to get some composure, and he beheld his Robotnik tracker curiously.

"Given the fact that that thing was _trying_ to run us over…" the vulpine replied. "I'd have to say probably." A spark seemed to ignite in Sonic's eyes, and he flashed a thumbs-up at his brother as he began to jog off toward the Ruins.

"Then what are we waitin' for?" called the Blue Blur. "Let's go catch up with him and say hello!" With a sigh, Tails began to whirl his key appendages, and they took off.

xxx

Shallow breaths came from the mouth of Shadow the Hedgehog as he skidded to a halt near the archaeologists' fan system.

"Damn…" panted the Ultimate Lifeform. "I was hoping he'd be here, but I suppose the news reports have been broadcasting the truth…" The black rodent was about to reignite his hover skates and take off, but his sharp hearing faintly picked up the rushing, tearing sound of a supersonic something headed his way. "Double-damn…" hissed Shadow. Within seconds, his ungrateful eyes met those of his rival, the one and only most annoying hedgehog on Mobius.

"Heya, Shads!" grinned the blue menace as he came to a stop.

"What are you doing following me here?" Shadow retorted bitterly. Sonic quirked an eye ridge and chuckled.

"Funny," he said, seemingly unmindful of his look-alike's tone. "I was just about to ask what you were doing trying to turn me into a road-pancake back there." Shadow huffed and crossed his arms.

"You were in my way, Faker," he answered icily. "I would think that after a couple years of knowing me, you'd be smart enough to avoid me when I'm on the move. Of course, that probably makes me foolish for assuming you're capable of learning." At this, Tails stepped forward to quash any potential arguments.

"Shadow, when you passed by, you caused the Eggman detector I made to go crazy," explained the fox hurriedly. "What Sonic's trying to ask is… what are you doing carrying one of Robotnik's machines?" This time, Shadow simply turned away, waving them off with a gold-banded hand.

"It's none of your business…" he muttered. "I have my own reasons for looking for Robotnik." Sonic became somewhat peeved at this. He raced in front of his black counterpart, placing his hands on Shadow's shoulders.

"Look, pal!" shouted the azure hero. "I know better than anyone that finding Buttnik is important, but we've run into some pretty freaky new threats, and it's not wise to go it alone right now!"

"Out of my way, Sonic…" Shadow growled. After a few seconds of solid eye contact, a sadistic upward curl shifted onto the furry lips of the Ultimate Lifeform. Without a word, his hands lit up, and he delivered a push to his rival that sent the cerulean speedster flying into the water near where the fan's battery pods had been. Sonic shook his head vigorously, stood up, and took a fighting stance.

"I don't want to fight you, Shadow…" began the hero, but Shadow cut him off.

"No," the black hedgehog said simply. "No, you don't." He was in the air in an instant, Chaos Spears at the ready, and the skirmish had begun. The blue protagonist weaved through the wet terrain, dodging point after point of golden Chaos Energy. Sonic started patterning his movements, moving in deft circles around the Ultimate Lifeform, who soon found himself within the confines of a dirty cyclone. With a vocal release of breath, Shadow doubled over, crimson energy drawing lines into his dampening fur. Sonic, who had ceased his wild whirling sojourn, looked on as the vortex of mud and water exploded with red light. The Chaos Blast knocked the hero through the air, right toward the cliff where the Marauders' hideout had been, but he was ready. Sonic curled up and performed a quick Spin Dash up the rocky surface, rocketing off its edge and homing in on Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform hadn't seen the survival of such an attack possible, and was therefore caught off-guard when the ball of spines connected with his head.

"Ha!" taunted Sonic. "Didn't think anyone could survive your Last Ditch Move, did ya?" Shadow was lying on the ground at this point, gloved hands holding a sizable gash near his right ear. With almost alarming coordination, the black hedgehog stood up.

"Who said _that_ was my only Last Ditch Move?" asked Shadow, smirking. He removed his hands from the bleeding wound and clasped them together, forming a spark of yellow and black Chaos Energy that wound around the bound digits. The Ultimate Lifeform began to laugh as he brought his hands up and slammed them into the ground. "Chaos… _Rift!_" he called. The spot of energy worked its way into the soggy earth, causing a huge break in the terrain that was flanked by walls of yellow light and crumbling soil. Sonic began to scream as the attack ripped the ground from under his sneakered feet, but his little brother was just in time to seize the hedgehog's hand. With his other hand, the fox hurled his screwdriver at their opponent. The tool crashed handle-end-first into Shadow's forehead, effectively ceasing the spreading rift as it neared the Marauders' cliff. With a jerk of his hand, Sonic's brother caught the amazingly returning screwdriver and set his hedgehog passenger down on the side of the newly formed gash in the earth.

"Please, stop this Shadow!" begged the fox. However, his words fell onto deaf (and apparently very _tired_) ears. The black hedgehog was on his hands and knees in front of the fissure's origin point, panting. As he got up, the Ultimate Lifeform glared at his adversaries with crimson fury.

"I don't need you following me," Shadow vented through clenched teeth. "I told you that I have my own mission, and I _will not_ tolerate your snooping." He turned away, tossing a strange device in his right hand. With a careless gesture, it was propelled backward, into the bottomless Chaos Rift. Tails gasped and maneuvered into the depths of the crack, his hands almost missing the object Shadow had tossed. When he came back up, Sonic was looking dumbfounded.

"What?" asked the amber kit, but his brother only pointed, causing the fox to whirl around in midair. The rodent they had been fighting was gone, but a new contender had entered the area. It was an armadillo, or at least, it had once been one. It now sported dull metal plating all over, and a creaky sound came from inside it as it beheld its obvious target. Tails looked somewhat alarmed, but Sonic only shrugged, ran forward, and cracked open the robot's shell with a Spin Jump. The mechanical animal fell to pieces, releasing its prisoner. As the critter dashed off into the thick undergrowth of Mystic Ruins, the two unlike brothers stared at each other, confused.

"That thing was roboticized, right?" asked the hedgehog, scratching at his ear thoughtfully. Tails nodded and produced the Robotnik detector. It had begun to beep again, and the fox was walking around with it experimentally. As the pair of Mobians reached the northwestern regions of the Zone, the sounds became more frequent, causing Sonic to point to a nearby cave. "Looks like it's comin' from there," mused the blue speedster. "You think there are more of those Badniks there?"

"Sonic, that's such a derogatory term," scolded Tails. "They're _generic enemies_ now." He shot his best friend a serious glance, but neither could hold the moment for long before bursting out laughing.

"C'mon, bro," encouraged the hedgehog. "Let's find that Eggman device." Being that the cave was nestled into a cliff, Tails was required to carry his older brother up to the entrance, and they were met there with quite a surprise. Just inside the cave was a miniscule army of barely-moving robots, all very familiar-looking. Among them were several robotic bees, a couple of blue spheres with disappearing and reappearing every minute or so on their backs, and other such old drones.

"These are…" breathed Tails, mild horror filling his eyes.

"All of Buttnik's leftovers…" Sonic finished. "Those poor animals must be starved half to death by now." Tails shook his head slowly.

"Sonic, they _are_ dead," elaborated the fox sadly. "Eggman used these robots on us at least four years ago. No natural organism can last that long without food or water, and Chaos knows just how much air was provided for them in those metal casings." The hedgehog's hands were curled into fists in seconds, and then he was upon them; tearing through shell after shell to try and salvage any possible lives.

"_They don't deserve it!_" he yelled, ripping one of the hardly floating blue bubbles in two and turning away from the corpse that had just recently begun to decay inside. "How could he do this to innocent creatures?" Tails walked sullenly to the back of the cave, retrieving the device that the tracker had led them there to acquire.

"Sonic…" started the amber vulpine nervously. "There's no point in destroying them all. Robotnik is dead, too, remember?" The ball of whirling spines landed, once again taking the form of the fox's best friend, panting. He stared at Tails briefly, emerald hues burning with a fire that Tails hadn't ever seen before.

"I hope so…" breathed the hero. "I _really_ do."

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**Wow, how am I managing this? I wrote a Trainers' Academy chappie in just a night, and this one didn't take me too much longer. Hope y'all enjoy. I certainly did. If you read, please review?**


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